Jen Gallacher

Please Help Kate!!

Recently a very sweet little girl was diagnosed with brain cancer. You must know how I felt when I heard this. I can't imagine how her family is dealing with the news and the heartbreaking efforts to cure their baby. There is, thankfully, a bunch of lovely people that have gotten together to help this sweet family and uplift them during this awful time. They have organized a card drive for Kate and her family. You can see more details at Jennifer McGuire's blog, but here are the basics:

Here is some info about Kate:

About 6 weeks ago the life of the McRae family changed forever when their precious 5 year old daughter, Kate, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Dad (Aaron) is a pastor in Arizona and he and his wife, Holly have two other children, Will and Olivia. Of course this is devastating for the whole family and many are praying for them. (Go to www.prayforkate.com to learn more about this family and their struggle). Kate has a rough road ahead of her for quite awhile. When you hear their story you will want to do anything you can to help.

And one thing we can do to help is to send cards to Kate and her family to encourage them, give them strength, and let them know how many people are thinking about and praying for them. And the most generous and kind people in the world are crafters so we thought we’d have a Cards for Kate Card Drive. This time I have two rockin' friends helping me out - Jana Millen and Kristina Proffitt. Be sure to watch their blogs for more info, etc.

Think of how much it would encourage this family to receive cards from all over the world. You can simply send the cards to me. We will then box them up and pay to send them to Kate's parents. (We have already gotten the ok from them.)

The details:

Cards can be for any member of Kate's family:

- Kate (age 5) - The sweet girl who is battling cancer.

- Little brother Will.

- Bigger sister Olivia.

- Mom and Dad, Aaron and Holly.

Cards can be anything cheery, encouraging, supportive, etc. (This family is a family of God, so for all you Christians out there, feel free to share messages of Faith.) Anyone can send a card - even your children!

Please write a message in the card and sign your name and where you are from. On the card envelope, please write the name of who the card is for (Kate, Will, Olivia, Aaron and/or Kate). Also, please don't seal the envelope, as Kate's parents might want to preview cards before the kids see them.

With your cards, please include a piece of paper with your name, address, email address and number of cards. We will keep these for picking out prizes. For each card you send, you will get a chance. So the more cards you send, the better your chances. (See below.)

The cards should be sent to:

Jennifer McGuire

Card Drive for Kate

PO Box 428612

Cincinnati, Ohio 45242

Please send the cards to arrive by October 15. This should give enough time for those overseas to play along. As we get enough to fill a box to send to Kate's family, we will send them. This way they don't get them all at once. And since they are having some struggles lately, the sooner we get some cards, the better.

If you want to send more than just a card (such as a gift), please just send directly to the address given HERE. Stickers, things to color, etc are welcome.

If you want to donate money to Kate's family, please click HERE. If you want to help cover the costs of shipping, feel free to include some money in with your cards. Any money leftover will be donated to the family. (But there is NO need to include money.)

And... how about some prizes as a thank you for participating? For all the cards we get, we will pick random winners of some great prizes. Click HERE for up-to-date prize info. Stuff will be added soon and often. Please keep in mind that winners will be pick based on piece of paper you include with your cards with your name and info. So, be sure to include it!

You can visit these wonderful girls' blogs for more details and prize info: Jennifer, Kristina and Jana.

I'd like to involve the kids in this. They have a different perspective on their experience with Joey's cancer than I do and may have some note of love to share.

I just recently found my bag of cards that people had sent to me during Joey's illness. I cried and cried over them. You cannot know how much it meant that strangers would reach out and love me through it all. I hope we can do that for Kate and her family!!